Hong Kong Court to Hear 18 Witnesses in Baltic Sea Cable Damage Case

Legal Proceedings in Baltic Sea Cable Damage

By James Pomfret

Details of the Case

HONG KONG, Jan 20 (Reuters) - A lawyer for a Chinese captain of a Hong Kong-registered ship alleged to have damaged undersea cables in the Baltic Sea said on Tuesday 18 witnesses would be called to testify in the case.

Witnesses and Charges

Wan Wenguo, the captain of the container ship NewNew Polar Bear, is alleged to have caused "criminal damage" to an underwater natural gas pipeline and submarine telecom cables between Finland and Estonia on October 8, 2023, according to a Hong Kong charge sheet reviewed by Reuters.

International Implications

The Baltic Sea region has been on high alert for sabotage after a series of outages of power cables, gas pipelines and telecoms since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

Wan, 43, appeared in court on Tuesday but his lawyer, Jerry Chung, said more time was needed to go through documents before entering a plea. The case was adjourned to February 11.

Chung told reporters 10 witnesses would testify for the criminal damage charge, including crew members, Hong Kong officials, and two experts in maritime matters. The maximum punishment is two years in prison, Chung added.

The charge sheet stated that Wan had been "reckless" and "without lawful excuse damaged the property belonging to another".

Finnish authorities allege the NewNew Polar Bear severed the subsea gas pipeline, the Balticconnector, which links Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea, by dragging its anchor along the seabed.

Estonian police suspect the ship also damaged telecoms cables connecting Estonia to Finland and Sweden before hitting the pipeline.

Wan's lawyer gave no details on what damages might be claimed and from whom, and said he was unaware of any other parties being prosecuted besides Wan.

Wan also faces two charges of failing to ensure the ship complied with safety requirements applying to Hong Kong-registered ships worldwide, under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

Chung said these involved the disappearance of one anchor on the ship; and Wan's failure to report daily to his ship's company. For these two infractions, eight other witnesses would be called, Chung added.

Wan did not apply for bail at his first hearing last May after his arrest, and has remained in custody.

While the offences did not occur in Hong Kong waters, the ship's Hong Kong flag means it comes under the city's maritime regulatory jurisdiction globally. Hong Kong prosecutors have cooperated with Finnish and Estonian authorities on the case.

Some European governments have accused Russia of hybrid attacks and sabotage of some critical infrastructure, but Moscow has denied such claims, saying the West is seeking to undermine Russian interests through an information war.

(Reporting by James Pomfret; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree, Jacqueline Wong and Kate Mayberry)